Everyone is aware of the dangers associated with living in today's society. Every night many homes are broken into. Criminals are not always looking for items to steal, in fact, they often times enter a home to cause harm to the occupants. A recent case that was publicized extensively in the media reminds us of the types of violent predators that exist. Dr. William Petit Jr. and his family resided in Connecticut when their home was burglarized. Two men claimed that they had entered the house only to steal some items. However, once they were inside the home, they committed some of the most heinous crimes imaginable. They beat Dr. Petit with a baseball bat until he was nearly dead. They killed his 17 year old daughter. Then they raped his wife and 11 year old daughter before dousing them with gasoline and setting them on fire. It is necessary to make security devices available to families so that they can be protected from intruders. This need is filled by the present invention.
The present invention is an indoor security barricade designed to create a temporary blockade between a home's occupants and any intruders. Using conventional technology, the present invention can quickly seal off a portion of a home during periods of danger or increased vulnerability, such as when occupants are asleep. It can also be used in office buildings, schools, courthouses, government buildings, etc., in order to isolate active shooters or other hostile intruders. Within these public places, it can be moved into place by employees, or remotely deployed by security personnel from a control room.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,739,100 is for “Retractable In House Open Stairwell Cover” issued to Lewandowski on May 25, 2004. Lewandowski is a retractable stairwell cover designed to seal a stairwell opening in order to create an environmental divider between “an unconditioned environment in a basement and a conditioned environment on the first floor of a home.” Lewandowski differs from the present invention in several respects. Lewandowski explicitly states its purpose as being to provide a barrier between conditioned air and unconditioned air, whereas the present invention's explicit purpose is to provide a security barrier. Furthermore, Lewandowski is intended specifically to create a barrier over a stairwell connecting a first floor to a basement, whereas the present invention is envisioned as a stairwell barricade, an exterior entrance barricade, and a hallway barricade.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,237 is for “Security Device for Buildings” issued to Martin, Jr. on Jan. 30, 1996. Martin, Jr. is a conventional security barricade for blocking a doorway or window opening of a building structure. Unlike the present invention, Martin Jr. is a conventional metalwork barricade, and cannot be lowered into place by electrical or manual means in order to seal off specific areas of a home.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,815 is for “Barrier Structure” issued to Pickett on Aug. 4, 1992. Pickett is a barrier structure disposed to extend generally along a fence line. Unlike the present invention, Pickett is designed as an outdoor security fence, whereas the present invention is an indoor security barricade.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,702, for “Concrete Safe Room” issued to Weaver et al. on Oct. 15, 2002, is a system for forming a safe room that includes a plurality of preformed concrete wall panels and a roof panel, and is intended as a safe haven during a weather storm. U.S. Pat. No. 6,438,906, for “Safe Room” issued to Komarowski et al. on Aug. 27, 2002, is designed for protecting an occupant of a home against tornado and/or strong winds. Unlike the present invention, Weaver et al. and Komarowski et al. are designed to protect one or more occupants of a home from extreme weather conditions, and are not designed to protect from home invaders or other criminals.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,458,305, for “Modular Safe Room” issued to Hollander et al. on Dec. 2, 2008, and U.S. Pub. No. 2009/0293420 for “Ballistic and Forced Entry Resistant Construction” by Smith et al. published on Dec. 3, 2009, are for safe rooms made of panels of ballistic resistant material in order to provide a bullet-resistant room for personnel in times of danger. Unlike the present invention, both Hollander et al. and Smith et al. require the construction of a separate safe room in order to provide security from criminals, whereas the present invention does not require adding a room to a home.
U.S. Pub. No. 2006/0254166 is for “Customizable Saferoom and Method for Making Same” issued to Michels et al. on Nov. 16, 2006. Michels et al. is for a safe room made of multiple panels, endwalls and sidewalls. Unlike the present invention, Michels et al. requires walling off an area such as a crawlspace in order to construct a safe haven, whereas the present invention creates a safe zone by means of a barricade that blocks immediate access to a portion of a home.